ST. LOUIS—February 14, 2012—The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison,
president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, issued a statement
today in response to President Obama’s health plan “accommodation” for
religious groups, which was announced last week:

“In response to President Obama’s announcement Friday
concerning an ‘accommodation’ to a previous mandate that health plans
must cover all forms of birth control (even those that can kill the
unborn), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) remains deeply
concerned. We strongly object to the use of drugs and procedures that
are used to take the lives of unborn children, who are persons in the
sight of God from the time of conception. Drugs such as ‘Plan B’ and
‘Ella,’ which are still included in the mandate, can work
post-conception to cause the death of the developing child, so don’t be
fooled by statements to the contrary.

“We see President Obama’s
action Friday as significant, in that it appears to have been prompted
by the many voices united in concern over an infringement of our
religious liberties. But the ‘accommodation’ did not expand the
exemption for religious employers, nor did it restrict the mandate in
any way. It simply described a temporary enforcement delay and a
possible future change—a change that, unfortunately, would not
adequately protect religious freedom or unborn lives.

“We remain
opposed to this mandate because it runs counter to the biblical truth of
the sanctity of human life. We are committed to working to ensure that
we remain free to practice the teachings of our faith, that our
religious rights are not violated, and that our rights of conscience are
retained. Freedom of religion extends beyond the practice of our faith
in houses of worship. We must be free to put our faith into action in
the public square, and, in response to Christ’s call, demonstrate His
mercy through our love and compassion for all people according to the
clear mandate of Holy Scripture.

“The government has overstepped
its bounds. This controversy is not merely about ‘birth control’ and the
Catholic Church’s views about it. It’s about mandating that we provide
medications which kill life in the womb. And moreover, and perhaps even
more ominous, it is about an overzealous government forcing coercive
provisions that violate the consciences and rights of its citizens. We
can no longer expect a favored position for Christianity in this
country. But we can, as citizens of this great nation, fight for
constitutional sanity against secularizing forces. As we have vividly
experienced in discriminatory state legislation with respect to
homosexual adoption, we, and our institutions (and those of other
religious citizens of good will), are being robbed of the right to the
free exercise of religion absent government intrusion or threat. The
next assault will come upon church-related retirement facilities. How
much longer will it be legal in this country to believe and act
according to the dictates of biblical and creedal Christianity?

“Jesus
bids us, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the
things that are God's’ (Mark 12:17). We will pray for and support our
government where we can, but our consciences and lives belong to God.”